Zystopia
by Flashyfirebird
Summary: Zootopia is broken. And Judy cannot fix it. Not alone. (AU. Eventual JudyxNick.)
**Extended summary** **:** After Judy's disastrous speech and fight with Nick, the last thing Judy wanted was to face her family. Instead of fleeing home to Bunnyburrow (and realizing that night howlers were the source of Zootopia's problems), Judy moved to a neighboring city and took up odd jobs. Six months later, Judy returns to Zootopia to find the savage animal case still unsolved, predator-prey relations at an all-time low, and new draconian laws threatening the livelihood of all Zootopia's predators. It's a race against time to stop Bellweather, save Nick, and put an end to the forces of hate that are destroying the city she loves.

-v-

Who would have thought Zootopia could change so much in six months?

The first thing Judy noticed, as she gunned her beat-up Impala onto Mane Street, was how _off_ the atmosphere was. A haze of fear seemed to have settled over the city like a mushroom-cloud of hate, seeping into the city's corners, tainting the sidewalks and alleys. It wasn't just prey who were afraid. The predators walked with caution, heads bowed low, eyes aimed groundward. Their faces were worried and defeated. Their necks were encircled with thin rings of metal, which blinked angrily. The prey they passed scuttled by, eyes averted. Some pulled their children closer, or moved to the opposite side of the street. One meerkat hissed at a hyena at the bus stop. The hyena turned away, pretending not to notice.

When her dad had sent word that special measures were being taken against Zootopia's preds, Judy had pulled up every article she could find on the Zootopia Collar Initiative. It had been one of many increasingly unnerving events published in the Times about Zootopia's savage animal crisis. For Judy, it had been the last straw. She had packed up her cramped Zoo York apartment and departed for Zootopia that night. She had driven for two days straight, sleeping in seedy motels, getting up only to hop in the Impala and keep on her way. A long trip – but not long enough to justify why she had waited this long. She'd let guilt overwhelm her for two years, without taking a shot at setting things straight. That had to change.

Judy felt sick as she gunned the motor, leaving behind the hyena at the bus stop. She had done this. Not directly, not intentionally, but it was no less her fault. Her speech had set off a chain reaction that had led, indirectly... to _this_.

The collars – which all of Zootopia's preds were now required to wear – were specially tailored for each species. They had been designed to incapacitate wearers whose heart rate spiked over 160% of normal. The rationale was that the collars would protect bystanders should a pred spontaneously launch a savage attack. The practical implications – judging from some of the outraged blogs Judy had visited – were devastating. Predators weren't able to run or exercise. Some of the manual workers had had to resign from their jobs. Even strong spikes of emotion could set off the collars. _And who wouldn't get emotional, with the city like it is now?_

Judy passed through Savanna Central and then guided the Impala toward familiar streets, making a deliberate circle around the neighborhood of Jack's Jumbo Cafe. Keenly she scanned the area, but there was no sign of the bushy-tailed pred she was looking for. No sign of Finnick's beat-up van either. She even tried a deliberate detour past the border between Tundratown and Little Rodentia, without success. Finally, with a worried glance at the dashboard clock, Judy gave up. She'd have to track Nick down later.

It was growing dark when Judy pulled up before the large manor on the outskirts of Zootopia. The manor was in The Meadowlands, an affluent suburban district to the east of Zootopia's center. The placard on the side of the door read 'Bellweather Estate' in gilt letters. Judy hesitated, and then reached up and gave a quick tap with the large brass knocker. A large ram in black security attire greeted her and escorted her inside.

Judy was glad now that she had called ahead. She and Mayor Bellweather hadn't exactly parted on bad terms, but during their last encounter, she had refused Bellweather's offer to make Judy the face of the ZPD, which might be construed as a minor insult. Still –

"It's been so _long_!"

Six months in office hadn't aged Bellweather. Quite the contrary – she looked even better than she had when Judy had left Zootopia. Her eyes were still huge beneath her overlarge glasses. They lit up at the sight of Judy, and the mayor hurried forward to engulf her in a hug. "Judy! I am so glad to see you – sit down, sit down! What do you want dear – tea? Coffee? I have some chocolates from Burfox, new delivery, I hope you'll try them."

Bellweather waved a hand, and a young squirrel, who appeared to be her secretary, scurried off.

"Thanks," said Judy, who hadn't eaten since lunch, and that had been a bad-tasting falafel wrap that she'd grabbed from a food truck in the Canal District. "Mayor Bellweather –"

"I want to hear all about your past few months. How are you doing, dear? How is BunnyBurrow? I can't imagine it being quite as exciting as Zootopia, but it always did have its charm."

Judy set down her chocolate.

"That's actually what I'm here to talk to you about," she said. "I – I don't agree with the predator collar initiative. I think it is having unintended and harmful effects on the predators of Zootopia, and it is overall damaging to the

Bellweather looked mildly taken aback. Judy wondered if she had spoken too strongly. Tact had never been her strong suit.

"Sometimes as a leader, you have to do things for the good of the general population that may harm a minority. And predators _are_ in the minority, Judy. Prey outnumber predators ten to one. The collars are an effective and safe and temporary measure until we can figure out how to stop predators from going savage.

"So increase the police force," said Judy. "Don't go restricting rights of innocent predators –"

"Innocent and _unpredictable_ , that's the issue, Judy. Just two weeks ago, a wolf in Savanna Central went on rampage and bit the leg off a poor accountant before the force stepped in to stop him. The force _has_ been increased, we're throwing a considerable amount of effort into hiring new law enforcement – particularly since most prey don't feel comfortable having predators in units that are supposed to protect and serve – this law was the natural step, all the prey were clamoring for it. I'm sure even some in your family breathed a sigh of relief when it was signed into law."

Judy opened her mouth, and then hesitated. Not her dad or her mom, certainly, her dad was still business partners with Gideon Grey, but she could think of a few of her aunts or her uncles who still would curse out a pred on sight.

"This was the surest and most effective way to balance the safety of Zootopia with the risk of having savage predators on the loose. These savage acts are practically acts of terrorism, Judy. Mammals are clamoring for a solution. This was the only way." Bellweather shook her head. Before Judy could open her mouth to argue that this decidedly _wasn't_ the only way, Bellweather looked at her. "So now that you've thoroughly enjoyed the delights BunnyBurrow has to offer," she said, "I hope you'll consider a job on the force. We are in desperate need for animals like you to help keep the peace in these dark times."

"Mayor Bellweather," said Judy. "Very little has changed about how I feel about my role on the force since I left. I can't –"

She broke off.

"Can't what?"

 _Can't enforce laws that I don't believe in_. But the words stuck in her throat. She looked in Bellweather's eyes, really _looked_ , and what she saw in them silenced her. Maybe it was instinct, the evolutionary remnants of a feeling of self-preservation. Gideon Grey had once told her that she didn't know when to quit. That was true.

But a very different fox, many years later, had also taught her the art of picking her battles.

The thought of that same fox brought a wave of guilt crashing down on her. She had messed up. She had messed up, and now all Zootopia was – no, no, she wasn't sure yet, she had to have _evidence_. But what good would evidence do her? The city was on lockdown, democracy might was on hold. If what she suspected was true then exposing the truth would require stealth, would require slyness, would require–

She knew exactly who it would require.

The trouble was she didn't know where he was or even the first step toward how to find him, and she didn't have access to the system, and she wasn't sure she even had friends on the force anymore...

Bellweather was staring at her, watching Judy with innocent blue eyes behind oversized glasses, awaiting a response. Judy realized she'd been silent now for almost a minute. She cleared her throat.

"I can't wait," Judy said.

Bellweather's mouth broke into a smile. "I knew you'd see reason!" she said. "You'll be so glad to be back on the force again, Judy. It's expanded considerably since you left. Bogo's no longer in charge – Chief Ramsley has taken over, I'm sure you'll just get along with him much better."

"What happened to Chief Bogo?"

Bellweather's lips thinned. "He protested the preds on the force getting collars. It was for _all_ our safety – there's nothing that can stop a pred from going savage and reverting back to its natural state, and police predators were the most dangerous of all, _trained_ to be physically fit, you know. But he just didn't listen."

"Where's Bogo now?"

"Oh –" Bellweather leaned closer, conspiratorially. "He's hiding out in Molestown somewhere. Well, you see there was such a scandal, what with the public clamoring for the preds on the force to be restrained, and then the day after Bogo and I had our little falling-out, one actually went savage, just like I had feared. The public backlash was enormous. Bogo had no choice _but_ to leave."

Judy felt the hairs on the back of her neck start to rise.

"I thought you'd be happy to see him gone," said Bellweather.

"That is – Things were... complicated –"

"I understand perfectly. It's exactly how I used to feel about Mayor Lionheart. Douglas Ramsley, unlike Bogo, will be _quite_ glad to have you on the force."

Judy tried not to give outward signs, but her mind was racing. "Can you start me off tomorrow?" she said.

"I'll email Doug Ramsley at once. It'll be perfect, Judy. Oh, I'm excited! You're a tremendous asset to the force. Zootopia is safer with you back."

"Thanks."

Judy stared down at her paws. ( _Conceal, don't feel. Don't let her know_ ).

"If you asked me to do a case that involved taking down a big pred," she said slowly, eyes flicking up to meet Bellweather's, just the right amount of guilty admission in them, "I – I don't know if I could do it right now. It's been so long..."

"I'll make sure that they start you off slow."

-v-

And so it was that the next morning, Judy found herself back on the ZPD, doing the one job she'd sworn she would never, _ever_ do again:

Meter-maiding.

-v-

 **Author's note:** Please review! Reviews make me a happy writer, and happy writers update faster. Also, I really do want to know what you think! Specifically:

1\. The ending. It felt slightly rough / rushed to me – I'm curious to know if it worked for you or not.

2\. Characterizations okay?

Please feel free to ask me questions in your reviews; I will do my best to answer.

 **Standard disclaimers apply.** None of the characters belong to me, all are the property of Disney, I only play in Disney's playground. Etc. Etc.


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